Internship Placements in Florence, Italy

When one thinks of the Italian Renaissance, images of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli musing in the hills of Tuscany immediately come to mind. Fittingly, Florence is known as “The Cradle of the Renaissance”, and the city still retains this charm and people liken it to walking through a living museum. This city is home to iconic architectural and cultural sites such as the Duomo de Firenze, the Palazzo Pitti, the home of Dante, the Piazzale degli Uffizi, and the Ponte Vecchio. The literal birth of Western Enlightenment happened in this very valley. Architectural masterpieces, artistic ingenuity, and culinary breakthrough’s, each of which affects our world to this day, all sprouted from the mountains of Northeastern Tuscany.

A fashion, art history, and culinary capitol of the world, internships in Florence are a must for those looking for a true internship experience in these fields. Take a step back in time, soak in Renaissance-era art & architecture, and sample the delicacies of Tuscan Cuisine. From an internship perspective, Florence offers unparalleled opportunities for fashion, museum and gallery internship, art history, along with business, marketing, and hospitality internships.

Program Details

Global Experiences

The Global Education office has partnered with Global Experiences to provide Mason students an internship experience in Florence, Italy. Unlike traditional study abroad programs focusing on one particular subject, internship programs include students from different majors, working and studying in the same location. The student’s internship placement within a company relative to their area of study defines their global work experience, and determines the internship course credit the student will receive. For example, a Florence internship program can include (but is not limited to) students majoring in design, arts management, business and economics, communications, marketing, and tourism. Additionally in the summer, Global Experiences hosts Project Moda, an innovative Fashion show, allowing Fashion Interns from all our European programs the opportunity to create their own brand, marketing and fashion designs and present them on a runways in Florence, to a panel of fashion industry insiders.

Internships and Placement

The internship component involves students working five days a week for two months at non-profit or for-profit organization. Once accepted by the Global Education Office, students will work closely with a Global Experiences placement officer to identify areas of interest so as to secure an internship for their summer abroad. Students may inquire about the type of internship opportunities in their area of study as well as about the complete support services offered during the program to their Global Education Office Program Officer. Within your inquiry, please include your major, career goals, and what knowledge you wish to gain from the internship experience.

Internship Credit

Undergraduate: The default Mason internship study abroad credit for undergraduate summer and semester programs is 6 Mason resident credits of Integrative Studies (INTS) 390 - International Internship. Coursework is obtained by an online Blackboard course, taught by a Mason faculty member, during the program. If students wish to obtain internship credit other than INTS 390, students must meet with the internship coordinator or department chair in the department from which they wish to obtain the credit. Students must then communicate with the program officer to complete the necessary paperwork to approve department-specific credit.

Previously, students have been able to obtain alternate credits in the following:

Graduate: Graduate credit may be available for this internship study abroad program, contact the Program Officer for more information.

Housing

Interns in Florence live in a shared apartment with other interns, students from the language school, or the landlord of the apartment. The apartments are fully-furnished and most household amenities are provided for you.

All participants take a roommate questionnaire to help the in-country team assess the right housing match for you. If you have any special needs please mention this to the Global Education Office program officer at your time of application so accommodations and options available can be discussed.